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Baked vanilla custard with strawberries and meringue

Baked vanilla custard with strawberries and meringue. Photograph: Harry Weir
Baked vanilla custard with strawberries and meringue. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 4
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Prep Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 500ml double cream
  • 2 vanilla pods
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 200g strawberries
  • 2tbs icing sugar
  • 1tbs lemon juice
  • 20g shop-bought meringue
  • Handful fresh strawberries to garnish
  • Handful dill, stalks removed
  • Handful fennel, stalks removed
  1. Place 4in x 5in bowls in a deep oven-proof dish or tray. In a small saucepan, gently warm the cream. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pods and add to the cream. Separately, add the egg yolks and icing sugar to a large jug and mix until smooth. Add the warm cream with vanilla and mix, being careful not to create too many bubbles. Pour this into the four bowls, filling them up to about a third full. Boil the kettle and fill the tray until almost full of the hot water to create a bain marie.
  2. Cover the entire pan with cling film and carefully place in the oven to cook for 40-50 minutes at 110 degrees until the wobble is gone. This may take a little longer, depending on your oven. Remove the bowls from the tray and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
  3. To make the coulis, place the strawberries (whole), icing sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and place on the heat. When it begins to bubble, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the strawberry mix in a blender and blitz for four or five seconds, then pour through a sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds.
  4. To serve, garnish the chilled baked custard with the coulis, crushed meringue, sliced strawberries and herbs.
Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.